The numbers in brackets refer to their position in the last England ladder - after the San Marino/Poland qualifiers

1 (2) - Jack WilshereGlory be to the highest. And when we say 'highest', we mean Jack Wilshere wobbling atop this ladder once again. Be careful, Jack. Hold on with both hands. Wear a harness.

2 (3) - Steven GerrardGerrard and the manchild above him in this list are genuinely the best English central midfielders in the Premier League. We've waited two-and-a-half years since Wilshere's England debut to see them start together and, against Brazil, there were signs that it was worth the very impatient wait. We're excited about this. You might have noticed.

3 (1) - Joe HartAwful against Sweden, brilliant against Brazil, but the individual performances matter not a jot - he is England's best goalkeeping option by the kind of the distance that interests Mo Farah.

4 (5) - Wayne RooneyFunnily enough, he looked a whole lot better with Wilshere, Gerrard and Cleverley taking turns to join him in attack (v Brazil) than in partnership with Jermain Defoe in front of a static midfield featuring Gerrard and Michael Carrick (v Poland). Whether you love him or believe him to be wildly overrated, you have to admit that an in-form and inspired Rooney is undroppable. The rest of the footballing world would soil themselves laughing if they heard people wonder otherwise.

5 (8) - Tom CleverleySeven consecutive England starts suggests that Roy Hodgson is a massive fan, which is grand news for Cleverley and for those of us who like to see a midfielder receive the ball on the half-turn (rarer than it should be amongst Englishmen). Manchester United fans tend to leap to the defence of Cleverley whenever he is unfavourably compared to Wilshere but there really is no need: If the impressive Cleverley is 95% to Wilshere's 100%, that's phenomenal news for England and not bad at all for United.

6 (4) - Ashley ColeIt's become 'the left-back debate' because Leighton Baines has been rather good this season, but the Evertonian is still in second place and will remain there until after the 2014 World Cup when the Chelsea left-back retires to tend his allotment.

7 (6) - Glen JohnsonEngland's first-choice right-back for over four years. There's absolutely no reason to change that now. He's a more-than-decent full-back having a more-than-decent season.

8 (9) - Danny WelbeckHe's 7/10 at a fair few things (holding up the ball, tracking back, winning the ball in the air, bringing other players into the game) but he's 3/10 at quite a few things that matter (shooting, the final pass, intentionally deceiving defenders). Should that combination be good enough to make him an England regular? Well, it worked for Emile Heskey.

9 (15) - Theo WalcottHe petrifies defenders. It's a very handy trait. What he cannot apparently do is petrify Roy Hodgson as the plan to 'get in his face' to secure a striking place was something of a flop. We like to think Roy just smiled kindly before putting him on the right.

10 (7) - James MilnerHe's awful handy to have around. If England get to Brazil, so will Milner. You can't help but think he might struggle with the heat, mind. Factor 50, James.

12 (10) - Phil JagielkaThis is something of an educated guess based on the solid but unspectacular Jagielka starting England's last three World Cup qualifiers. It's an educated guess that's making us feel really quite sad.

13 (11) - Joleon LescottStill sad.

14 (26) - Frank LampardNoises about a new Chelsea contract, Roy Hodgson's suggestion that staying in Europe would make things less 'complicated' and the obvious usefulness of having Lampard as an option off the bench are combining to make his presence at the 2014 World Cup (where he will be turning 36) more and more likely.

15 (18) - Jack ButlandFor possibly the first time in football history, a move to Stoke has probably guaranteed a World Cup place.

16 (19) - Gary CahillStarted four games for England this season - but that equates to three friendlies and the stroll against San Marino. Dropped a bollock against Brazil but we're in no position to start ruling out centre-halves just because they've dropped a bollock. If we stuck to that policy, we'd be bollock-less.

17 (17) - Ashley YoungWe're kind of assuming that a fit Ashley Young is still in Roy Hodgson's plans.

18 (36) - Daniel Sturridge'Needs that January move to Liverpool or Tottenham' is what we said last time around. He got it. He's been great. He's been duly bumped.

19 (12) - Alex Oxlade-ChamberlainThe Lord Mayor's Show is having an intermission.

20 (20) - Michael CarrickRemember when he said he didn't want to be considered for England if he was always on the bench? Time for a conversation, Roy?

21 (13) - Andy CarrollCarroll or Defoe? Carroll or Defoe? Carroll or Defoe? If he's playing and scoring goals, Carroll is probably ahead of Defoe on the grounds that he offers something truly different. And we don't mean traces of horse DNA.

22 (21) - Phil JonesJust the kind of 'jack of all trades' type that end up at major tournaments. Which is a shame for specialist right-backs who get left behind looking rather better on photographs.

23 (30) - Fraser ForsterThere are so few English goalkeepers of any note that Hodgson named only two in his squad to play Brazil. Ouch.

25 (27) - Aaron LennonWe're not entirely sure he touched the ball in his 15 minutes v Brazil. But at least he got 15 minutes v Brazil - which suggests he may be moving closer to usurping that upstart Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

26 (25) - Kyle WalkerAppears to be over an early-season plunge in form but still only a second-choice specialist right-back when second-choice specialist right-backs rarely reach tournaments.

27 (45) - Leon OsmanDid enough against Sweden to earn himself another call-up against Brazil. His biggest threat may come from across Merseyside in the shape of the much younger Jordan Henderson.

28 (24) - Gareth BarryVictim of a desire to shed at least some of the old, failing guard.

29 (47) - Jordan HendersonThe current captain of the England Under-21s will soon be available full-time to Hodgson who - lest we forget - took Henderson to Ukraine last summer. And we don't mean on a bizarre camping trip.

30 (43) - Chris SmallingIt was almost a year between England starts against Netherlands and Brazil for Smalling, who has the slight problem that he's simply not playing often enough in central defence for his club. That's partly about persistent injuries and partly because he's currently fourth or fifth choice. Probably misses out to Phil Jones on the 'jack of all trades' front simply because he has one fewer trade.

31 (22) - Jonjo ShelveyIt was all going so well. And then came that game against Stoke on Boxing Day. We miss his bantz.

32 (28) - Adam JohnsonA mid-table player playing mid-table football for a mid-table side. His time has passed.

Readers' Comments

I

t's wrong to be making a joke out of Bender's name at the expense of gay people. It's the kind of childish, uncivilised thing that Football365 would deride and ridicule if it was another media outlet saying. Why is there a need for jokes like this? Does it make your writers feel like men? F365 might suggest that I 'lighten up', but it is genuinely traumatic for people who have been oppressed all their lives to be the butt of jokes, and to be told...

ou can't blame De Gea for wanting to leave, he has enough to do in front of goal as it is as well as taking on the role of Man Utd's version of Derek Acorah in trying to contact and organise a defence that isn't there.